


Combining the Branching Paths

by JustARandomPuddle



Series: Puddle's Current Works [2]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: All of the endings, Center for Chaos Control (Henry Stickmin), Completing The Mission, Dimension Travel, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm just too lazy to type them out, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Multiverse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Henry Stickmin Series: Completing the Mission, Selectively Mute Character, Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, Spoilers, Time Travel, Toppat Recruits Ending | TR (Henry Stickmin), Triple Threat Ending | TT (Henry Stickmin), Valiant Hero Ending | VC (Henry Stickmin)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25940386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustARandomPuddle/pseuds/JustARandomPuddle
Summary: When the CCC come across a plan to destroy the multiverse, they come up with a dangerous plan in an attempt to save it.(I'm not good at summaries, but please, take a look. I promise it's better than I describe it.)
Relationships: Charles Calvin & Ellie Rose & Henry Stickmin, Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin, Ellie Rose & Henry Stickmin, Henry Stickmin/Ellie Rose
Series: Puddle's Current Works [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977166
Comments: 48
Kudos: 194





	1. The Convergence

Henry sighed, holding his forehead in his hands frustratedly. After being arrested (and promptly escaping), he had decided that it was finally time to go clean. He had gone to job application after job application, only to get rejected due to his extensive criminal record. He even had to sell most of his gadgets just so he could make enough money to pay rent for _last month_.

Henry sighed again, turning his attention to the TV. He flipped it on, changing the channel to the daily news.

"As the mayor, I hereby declare the Tunisian Archaeological Exhibit open!" The mayor exclaimed, standing in front of what seemed to be a _very_ expensive looking diamond.

Henry's eyes lit up. _If I steal this diamond... then perhaps I could sell it and become rich! That way, I won't have to live in this shoddy apartment and pay rent to a shady landlord anymore._ Henry sat up, his hand instinctively reaching out to grab the keys to his scooter.

Suddenly, Henry froze, his hand lingering over the keys ominously. Memories of his past failures flashed through his mind, his death flashing before his eyes again and again. _I'd rather be poor then die horribly hundreds of times,_ he thought, slowly lowering his hand and sitting back down. _Besides, I have another interview tomorrow. If all goes well, then I won't need to resort to stealing the diamond._

Three loud knocks suddenly resounded through the room, causing Henry to snap back into reality. With a sigh, he stands up and opens the door. There, standing in the doorway, was a young woman, her face obscured by the hood of her black hoodie. Henry blinked, examining the girl confusedly. Without a word, she shoved a piece of paper into Henry's hands and bolted down the hall. Henry reached out, watching the stranger disappear behind the corner.

Henry blinked, glancing down at the paper the lady had shoved into his hands.

_"At 1:00 PM tomorrow, head over to the abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. Come alone._

_\- The Center for Chaos Containment."_

Henry raised an eyebrow in confusion, slipping the note into his pocket. _The Center of Chaos Containment? What was that? What did they want with him?_ Thoughts and questions swirled through Henry's mind. _Do they know about me dying more than once?_ Doing his best to stay calm, Henry shut the door, panic rising in his chest. _In any case, I can't leave this alone. 1:00 tomorrow, right? At the abandoned warehouse? I better go see what that's all about._

**~ ~ ~**

Henry glanced around nervously, hands shoved nervously into his sweatshirt's pockets. Quietly, he slunk into the abandoned warehouse, anxiety chipping away at his nerves. The warehouse was empty, the large space making Henry even more nervous than before. The lady he saw last night was nowhere to be seen. _"Have I been tricked?"_ Henry asked himself, letting out a sigh in relief. _Thank god._

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room. Henry covered his eyes with his arms, squeezing them shut. When Henry opened them, the warehouse was full of people, some wearing top hats, some wearing headphones, some with red hair and a ton that looked _just like him._ Henry swallowed, even more, confused than before. He had no idea what was going on, and judging by some of the other's reactions, they didn't know either.

"W-Wha?? What's going on? W-Why are they so many Henry's?" A young man asked, wearing a pair of red headphones and clinging to what seemed to be another version of Henry.

"Allow me to explain!" A bright and chipper voice called out, drawing everyone's attention to the entrance. Henry gasped. It was the girl from last night.

"Hello everyone, my name is Alana Wood, and I'm an agent for the Center of Chaos Containment. The reason I've gathered you all here is to save the multiverse and everything in it!"

"What do you mean by 'save the multiverse?'" A red-haired girl asked, wearing a light purple top hat with a golden chain wrapped it. She eyed everyone suspiciously, especially some the Henry's with top hats. Alana merely smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Allow me to explain!"


	2. The Explanation

Alana smiled, dragging into the warehouse a large whiteboard. On it was an intricate-looking web, some point highlighted more than others. Henry swallowed, the sheer amount of people in the room that looked exactly like him making him nervous.

"Now then, are all of you familiar with the multiverse theory?" Alana began, glancing around the room like a teacher looking at her students.

"It's where there are a bunch of different universes existing simultaneously, right?" One of the red-haired girls responded. Alana nodded.

"That's right. And in each of the universes in this multiverse contains exactly one copy of each and every one of us. That means, there are many versions of Henry Stickmin-" Alana shot a glance towards Henry, who looked away anxiously. "-Many versions of Ellie Rose, Charles Calvin, etcetera. However, despite being the same person, alternate universes exist due to the varying choices your alternate self makes. For instance, in one universe, Henry Stickmin teamed up with Ellie Rose and Charles Calvin to take down the Toppat Clan, while, in another, Henry is the leader of the Toppat Clan, and Ellie comes to get revenge on him for leaving her behind." Alana explained, gesturing to one of the Henry's wearing a top hat. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, noticing a glare from one of the red-haired girl's wearing a top hat.

"Since there are so many alternate universes, we at the CCC have dedicated names for each of them. The ones I have just mentioned are the ones called the universes are known as 'Triple Threat' and the 'Toppat Civil War,'" Alana continued, smiling. "However, unlike most multiverses, ours is actually relatively smaller and doesn't revolve around multiple people's choices. Instead, our multiverse relies on one person, and one person only."

Henry glanced around, noticing the other Henry's discomfort. It seemed that, just like him, they understood what Alana was implying.

"Our multiverse relies on the choices of Henry Stickmin."

Murmurs of confusion filled the warehouse. Henry couldn't help but notice how many of his alternate selves flinched at that statement. Alana, not noticing this, continued. She pulled out a baton and pointed to a part on her whiteboard.

"All of the multiverse's began here, at the point where Henry decided to rob a bank. Despite all of the various choices, there is only one true outcome. Henry hides in a money bag and gets thrown into the bank. There, he gets caught and promptly arrested."

Alana moves her pointer to the next diagram, where the original box splits into three different ones.

"Next after Henry gets arrested, there are three ways he can escape, either through a lawyer, sneakily, or by busting out the front door. Usually, these three choices alone would create more universes. However, no matter how Henry escapes, it always leads to the next point in our timeline, stealing the Tunisian diamond."

Henry's eyes widen in surprise, his gaze immediately snapping towards Alana. Alana, noticing this, gave Henry a small smile.

"I assume you realized what's the issue, then," She asked him, everyone turning towards Henry. He nodded. Alana smiled and turned back to others. "I'll explain what I mean in a little bit, but for now, let me continue my explanation."

Despite Alana's words, Henry could feel people's eyes on him still, probably waiting for an explanation. Alana moved her pointer even further, the three boxes leading up to another set.

"The next point in the timeline, as I said earlier, is the Tunisian diamond heist. Just like the previous point in the timeline, there are three ways for Henry to steal the diamond. Stealthily, with his scooter, and with a bang. However, the similarities with the prison escape don't just end there. Again, no matter how Henry steals the diamond, it always leads our next, and one of the most important points, in the timeline."

Alana's pointer moves again, the three boxes separating into four different ones.

"Here's where things get more complicated. Unlike the previous two points in the Henry Stickmin saga, the way Henry acted during the Airship Infiltration actually directly influences a point later down in the timeline. Also, at this point in time, Henry is introduced to Charles Calvin, General Galeforce, Reginald Copperbottom, and Right Hand Man."

Henry blinked, tilting his head confusedly. Airship infiltration...? Alana, noticing Henry's confused gaze, cleared her throat.

"To clarify, after Henry steals the diamond, he gains the attention of the government, who then kidnaps him and asks him to help take down their greatest enemy, the Toppat Clan."

Henry withheld the urge to gasp. He recognized that name. The Toppat Clan was a large group of criminals, notorious for their several international heists of valuables. Not only did the government kidnap him, but they wanted him to _infiltrate their airship?_

"There are four things Henry can do in this situation. He can choose to affiliate himself with the government and steal incriminating documents from the Toppat Clan's records, or, Henry can affiliate himself with the Toppats by refusing to hand Reginald over to the government. There are two other routes, where Henry stays a neutral party and doesn't affiliate himself with either side. If Henry turns Reginald into the government, he gets a pardon, as well as the beginnings of a reputation as a bounty hunter. If Henry decides to steal the Toppat Clan's ruby."

Alana moves her pointer again, this time divulging into five boxes. Henry blinked, noticing how at the end of the chart, were 16 boxes.

"After the Airship raid, Henry then gets captured by Dmitri Petrov and sent to The Wall, a large prison complex holding some of the most notorious criminals. It's here where Henry meets Ellie Rose. Just like the Airship raid, the choices Henry made directly influence a point later on in the timeline. There are 5 ways Henry can escape The Wall. The first is to gain the attention of Ellie Rose and have her help Henry up into a ventilation shaft. If Henry chooses to take Ellie with him, the two escape together. If he decides to leave Ellie behind, he will escape undetected, but loose Ellie's trust. If Henry waits to be transferred to his permanent cell, he can then either call the government or the Toppat Clan.

If Henry calls the government, Charles, who is coincidentally flying nearby, will receive his call and come to pick him up. If Henry calls the Toppat Clan, they will show up at the Wall with their airship and attempt to rescue him. However, in the end, Henry will get betrayed by Reginald and tossed into the ocean below. Finally, Henry can choose to tackle the guard blocking the doorway and escape through the front gate by stealing a truck. However, Henry, while trying to escape during the chase, will accidentally topple his only way of escape nearby the edge of a ravine. Dmitri pushes the truck with Henry still inside, supposedly killing him. Henry, however, actually survives, and escapes into the tundra."

Henry mentally groans, bringing his knees to his chest. Him, a mere petty thief, doing all of that? It seemed surreal—like the person Alana was describing and the person he was wasn't the same person.

He wasn't some confident person who could fake his own death, or infiltrate an airship for a large group of criminals 

He was a coward.

A foolish, selfish coward, whose only reason for turning to crime was so he didn't have to work.

A coward who couldn't even steal a diamond like many of his alternate selves could.

"Are you okay, Henry?" A voice asked from beside him. He glanced to his right, wondering who was talking to him. It was one of the guys wearing a set of red headphones. He had a concerned look on his face, his hand hovering over Henry's shoulder. Henry nodded, before tilting it in a way of inquiry. "I'm uh, Charles Calvin. But judging from what Alana said, I'm probably not the only guy named Charles here, heh."

Henry blinked. How did he know what he was trying to say?

"Oh uh... I'm actually really close... " _friends"_ with my Henry. That's uh, how I know what you were trying to ask," Charles replied, nervously glancing over his shoulder at what Henry presumed was the alternate version of himself Charles was talking about.

God, thinking about this type of stuff made his head hurt.

"Oh, hey, about this? Instead of calling me Charles, you could, uh... call me something like... Buddy?" ~~Charles~~ Buddy, suggested, noticing Henry's confused stare. "And, you can call the guy from behind me Agent, I guess." Agent nodded, shooting Henry a smile and a thumbs up. "Anyways, you should probably pay attention to what Alana is saying. It's pretty important stuff."

Nodding, Henry turned his attention back to Alana, who had apparently stopped talking for a little bit to regain everyone's attention.

"Is everyone ready to continue?" She asked warmly, looking around the room. A few minutes passed in silence, before Alana finally spoke up again. "Good! Let's continue then."

Alana's pointer moved to the final set of 16 boxes.

"After escaping The Wall, Henry will somehow end up in the Dogobogo Jungle. What he's doing there, who is allies are, and what happens all depends on the choices he made infiltrating the airship and fleeing the complex. At least one of these routes will seem familiar to all of you, some of them more so than the others. I'll let you all discover what the name of each universe means later on. For now though, we have more pressing issues."

Henry gulped, his throat feeling oddly dry. Alana smiled at him.

"Recently, the CCC detected the creation of a brand-new universe. At first, we thought it was one of the 'Failure' universes, however, as we soon discovered, that was hardly the case."

"What was the issue then?" One of the top-hat wearing Ellie's inquired. Alana turned, staring directly at Henry. He looked away nervously.

"The day the Tunisian diamond was revealed, Henry did _not_ steal the diamond."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... did the explanations make sense? Also, sorry if this story seems all over the place. I'm not really used to writing time-travel fanfiction, hehe.


End file.
